African and Caribbean event update
More than 100 people attended Dudley Integrated Health and Care Trust’s (DIHC’s) first African and Caribbean event in October 2023.
The event, held at the Dudley African Caribbean Centre, was created to better understand the health needs of local people from African Caribbean backgrounds. Previous analysis had shown that Dudley African Caribbean patients with diabetes were less likely to attend appointments for diabetes care.
It was hoped this event would help to better understand the health needs of these communities, as well as inspiring improved understanding and ongoing engagement with services in future.
It was organised by DIHC in partnership with the High Oak Youth and Community Centre, Change Grow Live, Dudley Caribbean Friends Reconnect and Solutions 4 Health and Tony Kelly who is a local diabetes ambassador.
pdf A report (2.63 MB) is now available looking back at the event. Read about how:
• 60 attendees had on-the-spot health checks, measuring their blood pressure, height, weight and blood sugar levels
• general health and lifestyle advice was given to those in attendance through presentations and interactive activities
• African Caribbean culture was celebrated with fun activities to mark Black History Month, including a showcase of traditional cuisine using healthier alternatives
• Strong connections have been built from the event enabling more health checks.
Tony Kelly, who gave a presentation on the day about living with his condition, said: “The entire day from start to finish was a dream come true and there was a lot of valuable networking.”
Another attendee said: “This was an amazing event, there was something to do for everyone. It was enjoyable and well organised. Well done to everyone involved.”
Dr Lloyd Baron, Clinical Lead for Health Inequalities at DIHC, said: “Reducing health inequalities is a core ambition for us at DIHC. This event was a fantastic demonstration of what we do well and how this work can make a difference in future. We’ve made a strong step forward to engage Dudley patients from African Caribbean backgrounds and we need to build on that in future.
“It was particularly pleasing for me in my role to see how well different DIHC teams worked in partnership to deliver this event with wider partners including the communications, pharmacy and primary care teams collaborating effectively to great success. Thank you to everyone involved.”
